


And they said “Speak now”

by carmelfringe



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Photographer Steve Rogers, Wedding Planning, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:09:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25924150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carmelfringe/pseuds/carmelfringe
Summary: Steve heard the pastor say, “If anyone can show just cause why this couple cannot lawfully be joined together in matrimony, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.”He looked at the big, wooden door. Nothing.Then, the momentary quietness was disturbed by James clearing his throat.He turned towards the guests and said, “I’d like to thank my man of honour for sleeping with my fiancé two days ago.”or: Steve's a photographer at Bucky's wedding.(Inspired by a Reddit post)
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa
Comments: 24
Kudos: 283





	And they said “Speak now”

_Airbrush here. Fixed brow there. Red eyes erased, aunt’s unflattering grimace cropped. Aaaand…. done!_

You can’t look terrible on your wedding photos. You just can’t. It’s your big day, after all. These pictures capture memories you’re gonna treasure for the rest of your life, the happy moments that will be embedded in your mind _and_ your flash drive or photo album for years to come. It’s important that you look your best. And not everyone’s as photogenic as Vogue models. Sometimes you can look like a real-life princess, blind everyone with your astounding makeup and beautiful smile and still have the ugliest mug captured on the picture.

Steve knew that, better than anyone. His amazing _yelp.com_ reviews knew that as well. The constant stream of _Amazing services. Five stars._ and _The photos came out fantastic! Thank you so much!_ were the only proof he needed to know he was doing a damn good job.

He’d just loaded another picture that needed some final touches in Photoshop when his phone pinged, indicating he’d just received a new e-mail.

_from: james.barnes89@gmail.com_

_subject: !!!! help_

_Hey man, I really need your help. The photographer my fiancé booked broke a leg and won’t be out of the hospital in time for our wedding. Which is in 10 days. (please don’t stop reading). Are you booked next Thursday 2pm? If yes then I’m willing to pay double what they’re paying. Or no, fuck it. Triple. I don’t care, I’m kinda desperate. Or do you perhaps know someone else in the industry who’ll be willing to be our photographer? Pls respond asap. Here’s my number just in case: (342) 564-4802_

_Thank you so, so much_

_James_

Steve blinked and re-read the e-mail once again.

Huh.

He opened his calendar app and saw that, miraculously, by the sheer force of James Barnes’ luck and fate being completely on his side this time, he was free. Wednesday was booked. Friday was booked. But Thursday wasn’t. A sudden wave of realisation overcame him once he remembered why exactly Thursday was free.

“Shit.” he muttered, quickly dialling his dentist.

“Hi, yes. Steve Rogers here. I’m calling about my visit on Thursday.” He grimaced, bracing himself to get rid of his own awkwardness and get straight to the point. “Yeah, can you please, please reschedule it for earlier the same day?” He waited for a moment then sighed, relieved. “Nine AM sounds perfect. Thank you so much.”

He could say he had absolutely no idea why it was so important to him to help this James guy. He could totally say that but… that would be a lie. Steve knew exactly why he cared. He cared because he knew how stressful weddings could get. He’d witnessed plenty of wedding-stress-fuelled disasters over the course of the years he’d been hired as a photographer. He’d seen brides cry over spilled champagne, grooms lose it at the sight of their soon-to-be wives and husbands and cry so hard they weren’t able to utter their vows, aunts argue and fight so bad they had to be escorted to cool down, children attempt food fights more times than he could count. He’d seen it all. He could feel how stressed this James guy was.

So he decided to call him to let him know he’d be willing to help.

The phone rang three times before he was greeted with, “Hello?”

He cleared his throat. “Hi. It’s Steve Rogers, the-”

“Photographer?” _How could one word be filled with so much hope? Oh, James._

“Yeah. I’m calling to say that I’ll gladly help you. I’m free. Just tell me when and where exactly you want me to start on the photos.”

He was met with silence for _one, two, three, four… five seconds._

“Hello?”

“Sorry, sorry.” James Barnes croaked, his voice cracking. He took a shaky breath. “Thank you.Really, thank you so much. This week’s been very… hectic, filled with stress. I’m just…yeah. Thanks.”

Steve’s heart clenched with the sudden urge to comfort the man. _James, you poor, stressed out thing_.

“It’s all cool, man. Listen.” Steve lowered his voice, opting for a tone a little more tender. “Things’ll be fine. Trust me. I’ve witnessed my fair share of pre-wedding jitters to know everything will turn out great.”

He heard James Barnes take in a deep breath, then release it a few seconds later.

“I needed to hear that. Thank you.”

The thing was — Steve always did his best to comfort people, even the ones he didn’t know. And what he told James Barnes was a true. Even at the times when it seemed like the wedding would be a total catastrophe, everything worked out in the end. Sure, there often were some setbacks — ruined dresses, half-eaten cakes, lost rings. But even those seemingly disastrous problems turned into fond memories later. He still remembers the photo of one of the brides saying her vows in a dress that was ripped somewhere near the bottom, mud stains all over it and her husband-to-be looking at her lovingly, wearing his mud-stained suit that he’d ruined on purpose so they could match. He remembers the picture he’d taken of the groom’s sister’s toddlers, happily munching on the wedding cake with big, bright grins on their faces. Or the wedding ring exchange where instead of the golden bands were two plastic rings with big, edible diamond-looking lollies. Those were the pictures he liked the most. They showed tiny, special memories that the whole family would treasure for years to come. Something that was a setback turned into a beautiful memory.

He hoped James Barnes would look at his small mishaps with the same fondness later.

After he'd hung up he decided to search the internet for a _James Barnes_. The curiosity was strong and he didn't want to resist. He’d found two in New York City. One James Barnes was a sixty year old retired marine and the other was, well…

A model. Who had an Instagram page where he posted pictures of his snow-white cat, sunsets and occasionally some selfies. Who also had apparently walked in New York Fashion Week. Who was just… wow. Beautiful.

“Holy shit…wish I was the lucky bastard marrying him.” Steve muttered, ultimately deciding to leave the app to go back to fixing photos. Going down this dangerous path wouldn’t do him any good, he knew better than that.

☘︎

Maybe drinking so much the night before the wedding wasn’t the best idea. Maybe, just maybe, he would’ve been better off sober, curled up in Ryan’s arms in front of their cozy little fireplace, talking about their big day. Which was exactly one day and twelve hours away.

But it’s not what he ended up doing.

Bucky, Ryan and a few of their closest friends decided to go drinking and leave early enough to have some spare time to cure the next day’s inevitable hangover.

He’d said _put it on the tab_ more times than he could count and showed off every single one of his best dance moves when the urge to go make out with his soon-to-be husband was too strong to resist any longer. Bucky looked around trying to spot Ryan, growing more and more worried something had happened to him since the man was nowhere to be seen. There were his college buddies, all huddled together in a booth on his left, drunkenly nodding along to whatever his sister was trying to say. He chuckled when he saw Becca throw her hands up in frustration about five seconds later and drain whatever was left of Aiden’s drink. There were his model buddies, barely able to keep their hands off each other. _Good_ , he thought, because Max and Leigh were pining after one another for the past six months and it was _so, so exhausting_ to witness.

After scanning the nearby booths and the dance floor, his drunken brain tried to reason that maybe he’d gone to he bathroom. Or to have a smoke with… _hey, where’s Eric anyway?_

“Brother!”

He turned around, the sudden movement causing him to stumble like a baby deer. Bucky muttereda string of curses, annoyed at himself for almost losing his balance and being probably only a second away from having a one-on-one with the dirty club floor.

“What?”

Becca waved him over to the booth.

“We’re placing our bets on who’ll cry first during your vows. You or Ryan.”

He looked at them amusedly and chuckled. “And? What’s your conclusion?”

“A little insight would help. Who do you think?”

 _Easy._ “Definitely me.” He shrugged. “We both know I’m the crier.”

“Ha!” Becca pointed at Aiden. “Told you!”

Aiden only rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat. “Let’s wait and see.”

“Speaking of my lovely soon-to-be-husband.” He took a sip from the remains of Becca’s stolen drink. “Have you seen him? I think I’ve lost him somewhere during _Starships._ ”

“Have you checked the toilets?”

“Ooooh. Right.”

She laughed, patting him on the shoulder. “Come get your man, brother!”

It wasn’t as difficult to stumble his way through the crowd as he’d thought. Surprisingly, there weren’t that many people inside. Just him and some guys fixing their hair in the broken club mirror.

Suddenly he heard a familiar voice coming from one of the stalls.

“Shhh, dumbass.”

_Ryan._

“Can you be a bit more quiet? We’ve been gone for like, twenty minutes now. Let’s not add any more suspicions.”

Bucky titled his head in confusion.

“Chill out. They’re probably too drunk to notice anyway.”

_Eric._

“Yeah, right. Pull up your pants, big boy.” He heard some rustling, followed by the unmistakable sounds of a zipper.

Bucky’s drunken haze was quickly getting clearer and clearer. He was more alert, eyes wide open in shock. _No, it can’t be._

“We can’t keep doing this any longer, you know.” Eric whispered. Bucky came up to the stall’s door, putting his ear right against it, unable to stop himself from eavesdropping and getting his heart shattered in the process. “You’ll be a married man after tomorrow. And shagging your husband’s best man is low, even for us. I have to look him in the eyes, too, you know.”

There it was.

There it fucking was.

His eyes welled up so rapidly he barely had time to exit the room before his vision got too blurry to see anything.

Four years of relationship, four years of devotion, of love, of memories. All down the drain. Just like that.

It was too late to call the wedding off. Most guests had already arrived, some of them flying long hours to accompany him on his big day. Everything had already been paid for — the food, the band, even the last-minute _very kind_ photographer. The venue was almost ready, his suit waiting for him in the closet.

He quickly left the building using the back entrance and collapsed against the brick wall, unable to keep it together any longer. In between heaving breaths and muffled sobs he managed to type out a quick message to Becca.

_To: Beccs <3_

_Felt sick :(( heading home rn but you guys pls stay and have fun :)_

He could only hope to be able to fall asleep before Ryan joined him in their (his?) bed.

☘︎

On James Barnes’ wedding day Steve received an e-mail from the groom himself.

_from: james.barnes89@gmail.com_

_subject: [urgent] !_

_I know we agreed that you’ll take photos of us before the wedding but there’s been a slight change of plans. Just be there at the destined location at 2pm. Thank you._

_James_

Steve’s brows furrowed. _Change of plans? What does that even mean?_

He felt so sorry for James that he was tempted to give him 50% off of his photos. The guy seemed utterly stressed by this whole thing back when he sent him his first e-mail so for something else to happen _on_ his wedding day? Steve really hoped the poor man wouldn’t end up in the ER from all the pressure he was under.

_Oh, James._

It was around noon when he sent Peggy a mirror selfie of his outfit and was met with, “Ooof, darling. Are you sure you’re only coming there for work and not to steal that pretty husband for yourself?”

Steve checked himself out in the mirror once again. Peggy was right — he rarely wore this suit for work. It was uncomfortable as hell and generally he’d always preferred not to feel that way whenspending hours crouching down to take hundreds of photos. But today was different.

“Peggy, he’s a model.” He adjusted his cufflinks and straightened his tie. “We’re talking Fashion Week, _Harper’s Bazaar_ , that kind of stuff. So it’s safe to say I’m gonna see some more of his fashion besties.”

Peggy whistled on the other side of the line. “I see…Will you be able to stay focused with all these beautiful people in your way?”

“Please,” Steve huffed. “I took photos on _your_ wedding. I’m nothing but professional.”

It was true. While Peggy didn’t hire him for her wedding ( _Steve, please, don’t be ridiculous. I want you to enjoy yourself as my guest, not employee._ ), Steve decided to take some photos anyway. He wasn’t trying to be cocky but — he did want her to have the most beautiful pictures to put into her wedding album and he knew he was the one who took the best shots.

“That you are. Daniel still recommends you to all his clients whenever someone mentions a wedding.”

“And I’m deeply grateful for it.” He glanced at the watch. Twelve thirty. “When will it be my time, Pegs? All these dumb weddings make me wanna have my own.”

“Who knows, maybe you’ll find someone today. You do look like a prince.”

“Yeah, a prince of LonelyVille in Lonely County.”

Peggy laughed quietly. “Don’t be so grim. Now, now. Put on your best charming smile and make them all fall in love with you.”

And they did.

That is, if you counted James’ and Ryan’s aunts and cousins. They wouldn’t leave him alone even for five minutes. As Steve was getting his camera ready, three different people approached him and asked about small nothings, such as _Do you know James?_ to which Steve was tempted to answer _I wish!_ or _My daughter’s about your age. Angie! Angie, come here!_ and all Steve could do was smile politely.

“Aunt Linda, please, maybe leave playing the Cupid for after the ceremony. I need Steve here to be focused to take the best shots of my pretty face.”

Steve turned around just in time to see James Barns give his aunt a dazzling smile. _Talk about charming._ The man then reached his hand out for Steve to shake.

“Thank you, once again. You’re a true angel, five stars’s not enough.”

His voice was so… deep and smooth. Like honey. Or hot chocolate on a rainy day. Steve could easily get lost in it, keep listening to it for days. Could picture himself waking up to this deep rumble by his ear every morning and falling asleep to it every night.

James Barnes was looking at him expectantly.

“It’s fine, really.” He could already feel his cheeks heating up. Curse charming people for being charming.

James smiled. “I should give you an extra tip for putting up with every aunt trying to set you up with one of our cousins.”

“Some cousins don’t need their help.” Steve smiled smugly.

James’ eyes widened in horror. “Cousins too?!”

“Yup.”

“Then I feel like it’s my duty to tell you my friends have also shown great interest in you. And my sister.” He then groaned. “Oh God, why is everyone here so horny for you?”

Steve laughed. “The wedding vibes tend to do that, really.”

Something weird flashed on James’ face but he quickly covered it up with a smile that didn’t fully reach his eyes and only made Steve wonder what had happened to make this beautiful groom so... sad? anxious? on his own wedding day.

He patted his shoulder comfortingly, careful not to leave his hand there a tad too long.

“I better get going. Need to do some final touches to get the camera ready.” He looked James in the eyes, noticing how weirdly melancholic they looked. They weren’t bright and happy like Steve had seen in all the grooms he’d taken photos of. He smiled at him softly. “You’re gonna do great.”

James diverted his gaze from Steve and looked at the ground instead. He cleared his throat. “I hope so.”

The ceremony started out beautiful. James was the one walking down the aisle, looking almost ethereal. Steve’s heart clenched. Ryan wiped his eyes, probably from crying at how this man in front of him would soon be his husband. Steve understood that. Had he been in his place, he would’ve been crying, too. 

He tried his best to take photos of everyone — not exclusively James — but, good God, the temptation was enormous, when he was standing there in his white, perfectly tailored suit, putting Michelangelo to shame.

_Having a crush on one of the grooms you’re paid to photograph? Nice one, Steve. This gotta be the best joke your love life has given you yet._

Having been to so many weddings, Steve rarely found anything that excited him during the ceremony. Especially the ceremony of people he didn’t know. But, he did have his two favourite parts. The first one were the vows. As much as he hated to admit it, he was a total sucker for romance so he’d always adored listening to people declaring their utter devotion and love to one another. The second part was the one that always gave him this weird hope that he’d be a part of some movie-worthy scene. The one that always made him look towards the door, expecting it to fly open any second and reveal someone who’d, well… speak now.

Steve heard the pastor say, “If anyone can show just cause why this couple cannot lawfully be joined together in matrimony, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.”

He looked at the big, wooden door. Nothing.

Then, the momentary quietness was disturbed by James clearing his throat.

He turned towards the guests and said, “I’d like to thank my man of honour for sleeping with my fiancé two days ago.”

With that, he stormed off.

Steve’s mouth was hanging open in shock. Suddenly, everyone burst into motion and started to either scream at one another or rush out of the church to look for James.

Ryan and James’ man of honour were looking at each other, distress on their faces clear as day.

Steve, not wanting to risk getting stuck in the crowd near the main entrance, decided to sneak out of the building using the back door. Judging by the worried voices of everyone gathered, he assumed no one had found James. But, he couldn’t have had gotten far — they didn’t hear a car leave the driveway.

_Think, Rogers, think._

He turned around and saw a small staircase near the back door that was leading to, what was presumably, a more secluded part of the church. He climbed up the first few steps and, of course… There he was, sniffling so quietly Steve was only able to hear him because he was within earshot.

He took a deep breath and crouched down, deciding to sit two steps below James. His head was hanging low, but when he noticed Steve, he looked up, eyes teary.

“Bet you’ve never been to such a dramatic wedding, huh?” The now-ex-groom chuckled wetly.

“You’d be surprised.” His tone was quiet and gentle, almost as if he was speaking to a scared, wounded animal. “But I’d take your dramatic wedding over any groomzilla wedding I had to work at.”

“At least those groomzilla weddings carried all the way through. Mine didn’t.”

“Yours still can. If you want to. We can tell everyone to go back to the church and carry on like nothing happened. Though,” He grinned. James laughed softly, smiling back at him. It was a small smile, but it was way more genuine than any of the smiles that had graced his face these past few hours. “I would advise against it.”

“God, why am I such a mess?”

Steve looked at the man before him. Eyes swollen, nose red, tear tracks covering his cheeks. A mess indeed. A beautiful disaster.

“You’re a hot mess, though.” was what left Steve’s mouth instead. “Really shouldn’t’ve said that to a man whose wedding I’m supposed to photograph.”

They both laughed quietly. James looked at him, his eyes full of something Steve couldn’t place.

“Right. Well, take the picture now. My crying face and all. Who knows, maybe it’ll make a good memory some day.”

This man was so… exquisite. Captivating. Steve was so drawn to him that he wanted nothing more than to never leave his side. Too far? Maybe. But that was the truth.

You can meet the love of your life in the oddest circumstances possible — even at their own wedding. But it doesn't mean you’re out of options, doesn’t mean you’re completely out of luck. Because sometimes… sometimes when the front entrance is closed, you have to look for the back door.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading :)! tell me your thoughts in the comments if you'd like, I really love talkig to people here!
> 
> (who knows, maybe I'll add another chapter to this story once inspiration hits (?))


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